Chapter Thirty-One
Tony took his seat next to Carm on the boat, noticing that everyone around them seemed to be wrapped up in their own cocoons and not wanting to talk. Carm seemed a little distant too. Maybe it was a residual effect from the scare she’d had. He hated that this would be their last dive of the trip.
She shivered.
“You okay?” He wrapped an arm around her.
She nodded. “Just thinking about my freak-out at the beginning of the dive.”
“You came through it great.”
She rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. I was a hot mess. I’m embarrassed you had to witness that.”
What was she talking about? “You were anything but a mess—but I won’t argue that you’re hot.”
Carm chuckled and slapped his thigh.
“And what I witnessed was a kick-ass woman who, despite having a scary incident, chose to face her fears and not let them ruin her dive.”
Appreciation shone in her eyes, even though her raised eyebrows told him she didn’t believe him.
“I meant every word I said, Carm. I’ve seen your adventurous streak up on Capitol Peak. Nothing ever seems to faze you. But tonight, for the first time, I saw fear in your eyes.”
She quirked the corner of her mouth. “Is this the part where you’re recounting how incredible I was?”
“Hear me out.”
She waited in silence as he searched for the right words.
“I saw that streak of fear in your eyes down there, Carm. You were beyond rational thought. Reason flew out the window.”
“Is this the part about how incredibly I handled it?”
Tony gave her a pointed stare that wiped the smirk off her face. Then he continued. “As I was saying, you were scared out of your mind, so much so you couldn’t find your regulator.” She opened up as if to say something but must have thought better of it and closed that pretty little mouth again.
“But once you got your breathing under control, I fully expected you would want to return to the boat and call it a night. Most people would have. That’s when you did an amazing thing. You insisted we keep going. You didn’t let the incident or fear of it happening again hold you back. That’s about as incredible as it gets, woman.”
She’d faced down her fears—more accurately, chased them down—and then completed the dive as if nothing had happened. Seeing her in such a vulnerable state yet willing to keep going gave Tony a lot to think about. He had a lot of respect for her already, but even more so after what happened tonight.
And maybe, just maybe, he could learn something from her about how to handle his own fears.
Her eyes shimmered in the lights from the boat. “Thanks for saying that, Tony. It means a lot to me to hear it. And you were amazing. You helped calm me down and got me past the fear. I imagine every person you’ve rescued feels the same way I do.”
“It’s what I train for, so that when I’m in a situation like that, I know what to do.” While the instructor would have eventually seen she was in distress and come to her rescue, Tony was glad he’d been the one to help Carmella tonight.
“If you knew how scared I was…but you helped me get past my panic. I would have missed out on such an incredible dive, if not for you.” She glanced away. “It’s embarrassing to admit how scared I was. I flashed back to a childhood trauma, which only made me panic more.”
“What happened?”
“I was six. Marc and Gino had snuck out of the condo to go down to the pool just before midnight. They left the pool lights off so our parents and the property managers wouldn’t see them. I was always traipsing after them on one adventure or another. When I heard what they were planning, I got out of bed, bringing my stuffed animal for courage, and followed.”
She paused and took a deep breath, and Tony took her hand and squeezed it to encourage her to finish. “The condo pool must not have been as well-maintained as the resort ones, because there was a broken cap on the filter. I was wearing my summer pjs and while swimming underwater to try and surprise my brothers, the cloth got snagged and I couldn’t break the suction.”
“God, Carmella, that had to be terrifying.”
She nodded without comment before continuing her story. “Gino said he swam into Wolfie, my stuffed animal that had floated up to the surface, and knew I was in the pool somewhere. Gino sent Marc to turn on the pool lights while he searched for me.” She shuddered as if cold, and Tony pulled her even closer to his body, hoping to infuse some heat into her.
“Gino performed CPR. They told me later that if not for his quick thinking, I wouldn’t have survived.”
Tony’s eyes stung at the thought of anything happening to Carmella, even if it had been before he’d even known her. He remained speechless a moment, trying to choose his words, then said, “I’m glad your brother knew what to do. How old was he?”
“Sixteen. It was part of his lifeguard training. Marc, three years younger than Gino, took CPR training right after that incident, as did Mama and Papa. Sandro and I did as well, after each of us turned twelve. Mama made sure we kept up our certifications too.”
“Good for your whole family. Everyone should know CPR. I’m sure it’s come in handy for you with your wilderness treks a few times.”
“Definitely.”
She leaned her head on his shoulder, and he nestled her body against his. Holding her like this felt so…right.
Hearing that Carmella’s panic attack had been the result of a flashback made him marvel all the more that she’d been able to conquer the fear and not let it put an end to their dive.
On the remainder of the trip to the dock, Tony thought about all he’d learned from Lisa about dealing
